Ethical issues of Wal-Mart's dismissal of disabled employees

/kloc-in July, 2006, Wal-Mart got $654.38+25 million (contract 8120,000 RMB) for dismissing an employee who had served it for 16 years.

The employee's name is Marlo Spaeth, and she is also a patient with Down syndrome. Speth was fired because she rejected Wal-Mart's recent adjustment of working hours. Subsequently, Wal-Mart fired Speth, who had been absent for a long time.

Speth said that as part of her illness treatment, she must keep a strict daily schedule, including having dinner at a fixed time every day.

Subsequently, Spaeth reflected the above experience to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which filed a claim against Wal-Mart for disability discrimination on behalf of Spaeth and submitted relevant evidence. The committee said that the changes made to Spaeth's previous work schedule brought her "great difficulties" and Wal-Mart rejected her request to resume her previous work schedule.

The case was tried in Wisconsin for four days, and the jury finally found that Wal-Mart had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, and awarded Wal-Mart $654.38+$25 million to Spaeth.

1990 promulgated the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and guarantees their fair rights. For example, disabled people can have equal employment opportunities, receive services from the federal government and local governments, and enjoy public and commercial facilities.

Regarding the above judgment, Randy Hargrove, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said that the request of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was unreasonable, and the judgment amount was expected to be reduced to $300,000, because it was the maximum amount allowed by federal law. Wal-Mart accepts thousands of employees every year, and the company does not tolerate any form of discrimination. Speth's schedule adjustment is also in his free time.

Earlier this year, Wal-Mart mentioned equal employment and a racially inclusive employment environment in the news information on its official website. For example, Ben Hasan, senior vice president of Wal-Mart, said in April that Wal-Mart is committed to improving diversity and fairness in the workplace. In the past year, the proportion of women leaders and colored people in Wal-Mart has increased. In addition, Wal-Mart has created a more equal employment environment through donations from foundations.

Wal-Mart has more than 2.2 million employees worldwide, ranking first in the world. In the Fortune Global 500 list in 2020, Wal-Mart ranked first in the world with revenue of $523.9 billion. Wal-Mart's 2020 financial report shows that its net profit last year was $6,543.8+$04.88 billion.